The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) has clarified the recent World Bank letter dated August 16, 2024, which claims that no official request for the restructuring of the $40 million Fisheries Project was submitted by the Government of Liberia.
According to NaFAA, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) submitted a restructuring request on September 12, 2022, to the then-World Bank Country Manager for Liberia, Khwima Nthara, for further submission and approval by the World Bank’s Board of Directors.
Following this request, the World Bank’s previous Technical Team developed and approved a work plan and budget and that this budget pertained specifically to Component 1 of the project: ‘Improving Management and Governance of Fisheries,’ particularly sub-component 1.1, which focuses on institutional strengthening and capacity building.
These activities included purchasing vehicles and generators to enhance project implementation in rural Liberia and support NaFAA’s data collection efforts, the Authority explained in a communication.
This allocation represents only 2% of the total $40 million project budget, with compensation for the project coordinator accounting for just 1.3%.
This was with the expectation that the World Bank Board would approve the restructuring for the Fiscal Year 2021/2022, even as the World Bank Country Team was transitioning to a new team.
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, which oversees the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU), can confirm that no disbursements were made without prior “no objection” from the World Bank.
Meanwhile, NaFAA explained further that the World Bank authorizes all project disbursements in accordance with Component 4 of the Project Implementation Manual (PIM)
According to the process, the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) reviews and provides feedback on draft plans until they are finalized and agreed upon by the implementing departments; the finalized and consolidated Annual Work Plan Budget (AWPB) and Procurement Plan (PP) are discussed with the World Bank for an initial review to confirm eligibility for project funding and the reviewed and consolidated AWPB and PP, including initial World Bank feedback, are submitted to the National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) for approval while the Project Coordinator then submits the cleared AWPB and PP package for ‘no objection’ through the Task Team Leader (TTL) to the World Bank.
Upon receiving the Bank’s No Objection, payments are authorized through the PFMU at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning therefore, NaFAA reiterates that all project implementation decisions were made in consultation with the World Bank Team.
